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• Amir •

As Amir walked with the staff, he crossed through the threshold of a laboratory. This one was bigger than the other rooms he'd seen, and it had more machines and tables in it. When he peered his gaze toward the back, he noticed a metal bed where a patient was lying on it, with blond hair all over his or her face. He couldn't see who it was that was getting a treatment done. But he continued walking, getting acquainted with other staff members, and followed the nurse around a set of tall tanks along a wall. 

The tanks, Amir recognized—were sleeper units for people who have sleep disorders.

On the front of one tank, a name caught his attention.

L. Marquette

D.O.B.: 7-7-1995

Room 707

Date of last session: July 1

Bile rose in the back of his throat. Amir was appalled at how Chase kept Luna in this institution to keep control over her, and then he insisted for his surname be added to everything for her? 

And now . . . now they had her in a sleep chamber for hours, he doesn't know how long. Was he dreaming? 

None of the other facilities he'd ever been to had those types of machines. Machines like these helped people who were doctors or law enforcement and any occupation where you had to stay on your feet twenty-four-seven.

Amir has read about that kind of thing in different countries where they did it for a scientific study. There were dozens of bodies in this laboratory that were in a chamber, asleep.

His eyes started with the waterworks. He was now adamant about breaking Luna out of the facility before the weekend began, which was their birthday. 

That was less than seventy-two hours.

He casually glanced at all the other information and was stunned to see children and teens laying in a chamber, sleeping for eight or ten hours at a time. He felt like he'd stepped into some kind of sci-fi movie and didn't know what to do.

Nurse Julia Smith stopped at a long counter with a refrigerator at the end, and she pulled out a pre-made turkey and cheese sandwich, some purple grapes in a small bowl, and a bottle of water. She finished fixing Luna's meal and placed everything on a metal rectangular tray, then laid a small cup with two pills in it on the side.

"These are for Ms. Carlyle." The nurse began giving Amir instructions on what to do with Luna. "She needs to eat her sandwich first, then swallow the two white pills. After she is finished, let it digest in her stomach for ten minutes, and then she can eat her grapes. Make sure she drinks all the water. In the room she is moved to, Luna has a toilet and a small sink in the corner. Stay with her until she is finished with her food, water, and medication."

"All right." He just wanted the nurse to get away from him. She was worse in person. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

She continued preparing the other patient's meal tray and smiled at Amir. "I wonder about the sleeping chambers in there. I saw Luna's name on one." He cleared his throat and covered his compassion quickly. "I mean, Ms. Carlyle. I read it said Marquette instead of her actual surname."

"That is Chase's last name, and he is our biggest donor."

"He must be wealthy."

She tsked softly. "Not really. He is a financial advisor for a law firm he works at, and just between us, I think he embezzles funds from them. He couldn't possibly come up with the ten grand for her treatment every week, plus another twenty grand for her sleeper tank. He only started paying for it four weeks ago. He is the one who makes the decisions of her care here."

The nurse's last statement almost caused Amir to drop Luna's food and demand her to tell him where Dr. Kim was. But Luna's health and food were more important than his need for vengeance.

"How often does the patient use the sleeper tank?"

"Twelve hours weekly. Sometimes more. Depends on how often Ms. Carlyle sees her visitors," she explained. "I once saw Luna talking to herself in the showers like her imaginary friend was in there." 

Have they videotaped her while she bathed?

Calm down, he told himself before he did something stupid.

"What . . . what happened next?" Amir could barely get the words out.

"I had no choice but to report it to Dr. Kim." But you had a choice, nurse. "When he told Chase about what she was doing, Mr. Marquette demanded more shock treatment. It's a way the doctor believes will get the delusions out of most of the patient's heads. It works, but some patients are too far gone. That includes Ms. Carlyle."

"But how? Shock therapy is an intense method to use. It's unethical," Amir stated, clearly showing he was disgusted they even performed that type of stuff in the first place. 

"I understand where you are coming from, Mr. Khan. The therapy has helped, though. Many patients had gotten better and left here."

He shifted his weight to one side and asked, "Why is Ms. Carlyle called Marquette if she never married her fiancé?"

"Chase can have anything he wants."

"So when Mr. Marquette requests for something . . ."  Amir trailed off, letting her continue explaining what he does.

"Dr. Kim honors his wish. The sleeping chambers are only meant to allow Luna to stay asleep and not wake up to see her visitors. So Chase argued for Luna to have two sessions a week. I don't think it helps the patient, anyway."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Ms. Carlyle is very delusional. She is fascinated by the imaginary person she cooped up in her brain."

Amir let out a shudder and felt like leaving her to find Dr. Kim and Chase, then throw their bodies in a tank. Then set it for twenty-four months to see how they like it.

He and the nurse finished their conversation, and he made his way back to Luna's room, letting out a sigh of relief. He walked past twenty rooms until he reached Luna's, feeling his heartbeat slow down.

He thought he stepped into heaven when he gazed down at her as she was sound asleep and curled on her side. Her body faced the door on the tiny bed, and the chocolate-covered strands of her hair splayed across her delicate cheeks. What made her look more like the goddess in his eyes was how she lay with her hands tucked under her small chin, her lips slightly parted.

He couldn't understand how or why they haven't become ill after meeting in person, but that was far from his mind once he stepped into her room.

Somehow, maybe he and Luna we're immune to one another, but that was still a stretch. But he knew it could happen: a loophole for Tethered Souls.

Their connection was the only thing that he looked forward to, and since he was there to smuggle her out of the hospital, Amir was completely motionless. He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't want to wake his Sleeping Beauty, staying speechless. He couldn't believe they were finally in the same room together, alone. Luckily, the room she was in was not being monitored by security cameras.

He laid her tray down and reached over to grab two sets of gloves—one for him and one for her. 

When she stirred, Luna brought a hand up to her cheek and smoothed away her sticky hair from her eyes. Amir could see faint marks around her jawline and cheekbones, a faded shade of yellowish-brown. There was a small cut around the corner of her eye and one on the tip of her nose. Anger surged through him, boiling the blood inside his body. He inhaled softly and kept his composure as he sat there and ran a gloved hand around the top of her bony shoulder.

Slowly opening her eyes, Luna gazed at him with her bright chocolate brown ones, a soft whimper coming from her mouth. "Amir?"

The sound of her voice was sweet and comforting and felt like he was home. The burning twisted inside his torso and formed a ball in the back of his throat. Re-adjusting himself on the bed, Amir brought his fingers down her face, feeling free to touch her. They could do that; live together, wear gloves, and never really touch. That wasn't ideal, but as long as they were together with Sarah, they'd make it.

"Hi, Moon," he whispered, his voice scratchy and hoarse.

She stared up at him like he was a figment of her imagination. "Are you really in America? In my state?"

"Yes, I am. I came for my soulmate."

A heavy silence loomed between them, and she rose on her elbows, squinting her eyes. A small part of her hair fell across her face, and he leaned over to brush it back into place. Scooting over a little to give her a little more space, his heartbeat was kicked into supersonic speed and hers was pounding. Their hearts connected.

Amir closed his eyes as he felt her gentle touch flow deeply into his soul.

Luna reached over and grabbed her pair of gloves, sliding them on carefully. Then when she had them pulled up and secure, she slid one hand over his forehead and down his shoulder, tracing her covered fingers down his arms. 

With his eyes still closed, her touch illuminated him from the inside and grabbed hold of his spirit. It sent a spark wave of emotions roaming through his entire body.

"You aren't imagining me. I'm here." He quickly caught one of her tears falling and cupped his hand around her chin. "You're going to be okay."

"You volunteered?" she gulped. "I thought that was all a dream. We're probably monitored now."

"Don't worry about that. This room is camera-free." He felt a shudder from her in his arm. "I told you, I'd figure something out."

"Why? I mean, what were you thinking? They could do anything to me and affect you."

"I couldn't let you continue going through this. I had to do something." He slid his hands down her shoulders to her elbows, cupping them gently. "There was no way I could live in the outside world knowing what they were doing to you. I know this is a shock and something we've never discussed, but it's what I wanted to do. You are important in my life and always have been."

She hung her head down and shook it, still unraveling how he flew across the world to come to bust her out. "But your life in Pakistan, and your friends and family, Amir, or should I say, Ibrahim?"

"I wasn't giving them my first name. Ibrahim goes a long way here. They are treating this foreigner like I'm the Prime Minister of Pakistan." She laughed a little and smiled while he went on. "I don't care about what happens to me. I've prayed to Allah to take my life instead of yours if we were to get ill with one single touch. I wouldn't be able to live if something were to happen to you in this place."

The moment he expressed those words in his heart, Amir knew what he said was true. He'd rather Allah let him go instead of her. Other people have always come first for him. But Luna was more than just anyone else. She was the other piece of his soul that would be nothing if she were gone. She had Sarah, Liberty, her family, and a bright future ahead for herself. Her life had always come first for him.

"But the things you will see or what they could get you to do . . . Or to me . . ." Several tears slipped from her eyelids, falling onto her rosy cheeks. "They'll hurt you through me."

"Whatever they do to you, I'll just take the pain. You shouldn't have to go through this alone. You're my life, Moon." 

After seeing her bottom lip quiver, he shook his head and kept his eyes on hers. "Come on, did you think I could live in my home and live my life and not see you anymore? Three weeks without seeing you were killing me. I love you so much. My life is nothing without you, Luna."

Her hands ran over his shoulder, gripping him softly, reaching under his brown shirt. She stared at his scrubs up and down, her lips trembling.

Then, in the middle of a stare-off contest, she hopped up and grabbed the blanket off the bed. With her soft eyes, Luna gestured for him to lean against the wall and threw the blanket over his body so none of their skin touched. He didn't quite understand what she was doing, but that was the least of his worries. He enjoyed this moment with the one he came for, inhaling her scent, the aroma of peppermint candy after it was unwrapped. A smell that reminded him of Christmas.

Seconds later, she brought her arms around Amir's waist and cuddled up to him, smiling softly into his eyes. He wasn't quite used to being this close to anyone in his life, but with Luna, it felt like it was meant to be.

"Cami told me that as long as our skin didn't touch, we could do most things together. She's been my Tethered Guru."

He slightly laughed against the top of her head and tug at her waist. "This is risky, though."

"True, but holding you in reality was the only thing I ever thought about, the only thing that kept me going in here. This opportunity could disappear any minute. You're amazing, Amir Ibrahim Khan, my soulmate."

A heartbeat later, Amir moved forward and cupped one of her cheeks with his gloved hand and the other tracing down her neck. Cautiously bringing his mouth closer, he pressed his lips against hers, softly kissing her. Kissing Luna was risky for both of them, but never kissing her in his life would've been worse to live through. This moment was truly worth the wait, his first kiss, even if they did get sick in the end.

His soul felt at ease as it was now mended with hers, like two puzzle pieces connecting. 

━━━─── • ───━━━

Aluna's first kiss! It finally happened!